Reflections on Male Violence Tallies 2010-2013

bianet, an online news organization with a woman-focused journalism and conceptualization of this mentality into a model for journalism practices, has kept a tally on male violence. bianet coined this term in order to protest the curtailed language of the mainstream media journalism where the perpetrator of violence cases (murder, rape, assault and harassment) are concealed. 

We always have to keep in mind that Turkey reached a shameful and alarming level in terms of male violence in the past 10 years. Considering the other violent conflict casualties among [PKK] guerrillas (1609) and [Turkish] army (901), the number of slain women almost doubles the death tolls of an armed conflict. (1)

853 murders in 4 years 

According to data based on reports in local and national newspapers and news agencies, a compilation made by bianet revealed that male violence left 214 women, 167 raped, 241 battered and 161 harassed in 2013. 

In the past 4 years, on the other hand, male violence left 853 women, 685 raped, 846 harassed. 

When we take a closer look at male perpetrated murders according to years (217 in 2010, 252 in 2011, 165 in 2012, 214 in 2013), we obtain the “average” 212. 

On the other hand, the “average” of rape cases turn out 171 and 213 for harassment cases. 

Remembering that harassment and rape tolls were only based on media coverage and considering that most of the male violence didn’t even appear on the media became a daily part of a woman’s life in Turkey, we can immediately say that the actual tolls are more terrible than what it is suggested here. 

Husbands, ex-husbands, lovers...

The tolls tell even more than this, so let’s take a look at BIA Male Violence Report 2013. 

Out of 214 slain women,104 were murdered by husbands and 12 by ex-husbands, 25 by lovers, 6 by ex-lovers, 10 by fathers, 9 by sons-in-law, 18 by other relatives (father-in-law, elder brother, younger brother, etc). 

In addition to that, the situation seems pretty much similar with the past 4 years. The tallies continue with husbands, ex-husbands or lovers as main perpetrators of male violence cases. Another detail is that these results also match with the other data related to murders between 2007 and 2011. For instance, according to certain research, 47 percent of all male perpetrated murders were those women who were killed by either their ex-husbands or for seeking-divorce. This toll surges to 69 percent in 2012.

Another striking toll that adds up to our understanding of male perpetrated murders is that 15 percent of women were killed for seeking divorce: 32 women killed and 19 battered for seeking divorce, and 13.5 percent of women were killed despite complaint or restraint order. 

The detail behind this information is as follows: 13 women were murdered despite restraint order, 4 were slain right after the restraint order was due and 12 were killed despite their complaint to authorities. 4 women, on the other hand, were killed by men who was either released on permit or parole. 

When we compare the reasons for which women were subjected to beating or killing in the past 4 years, the situation gets even more critical. 

For instance in 2012, 24 women were murdered despite taking legal action. Moreover, 9 female murder victims filed complaints against their aggressors several times, 7 women were murdered by their aggressors despite court restraint orders, 1 woman was murdered in women’s shelter within a court restraint order. 3 male murderers were husbands or ex-husbands who have received prison sentence but benefitted from controlled freedom. 

In 2011, 11 women were murdered despite taking legal action, demanded for protection, complaint to police or refuging in women’s shelter. 

In 2010, 42 percent of women who was subjected to male violence knew that they were under the threat of such male perpetrator or took legal action such as complaining to police or a prosecutor. 27.27 percent of those slain women, moreover, were killed for reasons related to seeking divorce, separation or compromise. 

Still citing the male violence statistics in 2013, most cases were reported in the following provinces: Istanbul (131), Kocaeli (52), Adana (45) and Izmir (44). While in 2012, it was Istanbul (162), Izmir (54); Adana (50) and Ankara (37). In 2011 again, it was Istanbul (65), Adana (55), Antalya (38); Izmir (35). And lastly in 2010:  Istanbul (25) and Adana (16).  

Country of those whose maleness is tested amid a cult of legitimate violence  

While these tolls reduce into numbers the women whose lives were taken away tragically, they also tell us a lot in terms of demonstrating the issue from various perspectives. 

While the incumbent islamic-conservative ideology and its neoliberal policies have conjugated three consecutive election victories since 2002, they also made the following changes: protecting the “family”, increasing the population, put obstacles on contraception and abortion, and encouraging young marriages as part of state policy. In a country where the name of Women Affairs Ministry was changed to Family and Social Policies Ministry, we can observe that the real issue lies beneath the nuclear and extended families. It confronts us with a “fact” that we regard the male domination - one way or another - as a threat.  

In fact, in a male dominant country where near and far past is fully covered with violence; where culprits don’t appear before justice or forced to account for their actions by a counter-force; where it is normalized to confront each other with ash to ash, dust to dust; it is neither something of new or surprising to see the manifestation of male violence practically at every local context.  

A woman in transformation and a man who feels a threat to his rule 

The reason for which we are more and more compelled to put the family under microscope is, of course, to emphasize on the fact that the issue of male violence - which we put under the rug for longtime by calling it “domestic violence” - is now larger than before and visible thanks to the media. 

However, apart from what tolls are telling us, there are other things which we are aware but also need to underscore. Departing from the fact that most female murders are committed in cities like Istanbul, Adana, Izmir, Ankara or more generally in Marmara Region, and women are killed by their husbands, ex-husbands or lovers when they take legal action for separation, we can say the following:

Under the current circumstances, especially in metropoles; neither man, nor their male dominated institutions nor women organizations are able to keep up with the speed of women’s transformation. These abandoned women pay the cost of this new woman-ness.  

On one hand, we have the psychological consequences of a civil war that took 30 years and 45,000 to 50,000 lives. And on the other hand, we have the urbanization issue that caught up in this spiral for political, sociological and economic reasons with tremendous speed. And lastly, we have a income gap that is constantly expanding within the neoliberal policies. These factors transform women just as they do to men, but the change takes them to different directions. 

Now that women are needed more than ever as cheap labor forces than can be discarded easily at any given time, they have emerged in the public sphere dominated by men, a realm that women had no contribution to its norms or its underlying conditions. Despite  disadvantages, they have started to realize that their current situation under those circumstances wasn’t totally their faith and started to dream they could have another life, and they even find the strength to dare to realize their dreams. At this point, they are confronting the ideologically reckless and violence resistance of the male whoever (husband, ex-husband, lover, fiancee, father or brother…) who saw that his dominance is being threatened in the unequal (family) unit.  

In addition to that, this ideological conservatism is not under the monopoly of pious ones. For instance, I don’t know whether they adequately represent their groups but let me suggest two names Ali Bulaç and Serdar Turgut, a pious and a secular, pointed out the responsibility of female murders to women. In a way, they have engaged in a male solidarity. 

In his article “From home to the mosque” (Zaman, 03/12/2011) and “From home to work” (Zaman 05/12/2011), Ali Bulaç wrote that men were forced to violence and terrible murders against women as men were left out after women left home for going to the mosque and work. 

Serdar Turgut, on the other hand, wrote to (Habertürk, 19 December 2011) that, just like in the west, women’s participation to workforce dissolved the family values, increased women’s infidelity - which ultimately caused the murders!

Government’s dual role 

The state certainly plays a seemingly-paradoxical but very consistent dual role here: One one hand, it continues to baptize the family from an ideological aspect, on the other hand, it doesn’t act sincerely towards the enemy at home. And this causes women to be devoid of protection from a obviously approaching male violence even in shelters.  

As judicial authorities have agreed, important laws have been implemented to prevent and ground violence against women. However, the mentality and lack of willingness in the application of these laws (who can guarantee that these men are not beating their wives or daughters?) can’t protect women at a time that they have attempted to transform their lives. 

In a nutshell, bianet’s Male Violence Tally 2013, when we read it along with the previous reports, female murders are related to the fact that women have started to threat the male authority more and more in the public sphere - a situation that would unsurprisingly bring Ali Bulaç and Serdar Turgut together. This situation, if we can at least talk about what we can cover within tallies, is happening most rapidly and destructively in metropoles. For this reason, these incidents are taking place at apartments and men who are most “intimate” to women. Therefore, nobody can protect the women. 

Behind all forms of violence in Turkey, we come up with a “maleness problem”: From those who use excessive force against peaceful demonstrations to those who attack doctors or kill Hrant Dink or continue their reckless attitude at the court after the murder or backup these suspects in police stations, or those who commit hate crimes against LGBT people for they feared to face themselves, or all these obvious “pedophiles” in the name of being “child bride” husbands, or just like our state feeling itself in danger all the time. For all these reasons, it is necessary that we didn't only remain satisfied with keeping male violence tallies but also (let) men face themselves.

bianet’s Male Violence Report 2010 is very extensive in terms of providing the profiles of male perpetrators from their profession to their ages and their motivations for committing these crimes. 

However, it is obvious that it is not always easy to capture all these statistics over news articles.  For instance, according to the Male Violence Report 2010, 8.82 percent of murder suspects turned out to be retired or active-duty police officers. By the same token, they also make up 33.33 percent of assault suspects. While 34.65 percent of harassment victims are teachers, 11.88 were with a military, police or private security background. When we take a closer look at rape cases, 25.7 percent of cases were committed by retired or active-duty military, police or private security officers. These alone say a lot of things, right? Therefore, a thorough research must be done in order to improve what these tolls are saying. 

And at the very end, let’s blame ourselves a little bit, women’s organized solidarity must be enhanced so that it won’t abandon our fellow sisters. (SA/ÇT/BM)

* Sevda Alankus,  Prof. Dr., communication, BIA training adviser

(1) While this toll did not include civilians, the number was calculated departing from Defense Ministry data as well as PKK sources. http://ww.bianet.org/bianet/insan-haklari/144594-askerde-949-intihar-iddiasi, http://www.hpgsehit.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=category&task=category&id=3&Itemid=111 and http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/id/25424390

(2) According to another data that I have referred above 73 percent of women were killed despite seeking protection and 27 were slain in women’s shelter.

(3) BIA Male Violence Report 2011 only cited the distribution of male violence cases according to cities from the second half of the year. On the other hand, BIA Male Violence Report 2010 only cited the top two cities with most reported male violence cases.